When a Fire Starts to Burn

This letter to the editor, by John Gostovich, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on January 23, 2025.

Misinformation about Los Angeles County’s devastating fires is spewing about as wildly as wind driven embers.

Fact is, the up to 100-mile-per-hour winds that drove and grew Los Angeles County’s catastrophic fires are a powerful example of how extreme weather and climate change due to global warming affect our communities. 

Climate change is causing California’s cycles of flooding rainfall followed by drought, rising temperatures, and shifting seasons—all those are increasing risks for more frequent and bigger wildfires driven by higher wind speeds.

Fact is, wildland brush clearing and firebreaks won’t prevent urban fires when showers of embers are blown from miles away into residential neighborhoods by hurricane-force winds.

When dry vegetation ignites, high winds fan wildfire and blow burning embers long distances. Embers raining down on homes ignite anything flammable. Buildings and furnishings burn faster and hotter than vegetation. High winds push flames and hot embers like a blowtorch from structure to structure to create an urban firestorm.

Fact is, California has done more to reduce urban fire risks than any other state—through zoning and building codes, noncombustible construction materials standards, sprinkler requirements, combustible vegetation clearance requirements, municipal water supplies and systems, and fire protection districts. 

But urban fire precautions won’t stop advancing wildfires made ferocious by bone dry conditions and high winds.

Fact is, putting out huge wildfires and urban firestorms requires using aircraft to drop water and fire retardant. 

But firefighting helicopters and planes can’t fly in high winds.

Instead of drought and high winds from climate change, misplaced blame for California’s disastrous fires is put on the alleged indifference of Democratic officials toward ensuring public safety.

But it’s Republican Party leaders who still deny the realities of global warming and climate change. And recent polls show only 23% of Republicans are concerned with US climate change impacts, while just 12% say climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress. In comparison, 78% of Democrats view climate change as a major US threat, and 59% say climate change should be a top priority.

For effective actions on climate change, vote for Democrats.